CHEMOSENSITIVITY IN PRIMARY LIVER CANCERS - EVALUATION OF THE CORRELATION BETWEEN CHEMOSENSITIVITY AND CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL FACTORS

Background/Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the correlati on of the chemosensitivity of primary liver cancers and the clinicopat hological factors. Materials and Methods: The correlation of the chemo sensitivity was investigated along with the associated clinicopatholog ical factors, using 229 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 8 with cholangiocellular carcinoma (CCC), who all underwent hepatic re section. Chemosensitivity was determined by a succinate dehydrogenase inhibition assay. Results: The overall rate of chemosensitivity among the HCCs was as follows: 34.8% to adriamycin, 40.5% to mitomycin. C, 3 8.2% to cisplatin, respectively, while the resistant rate to all drugs tested was 50.9%. The chemoresistant rate of the HCCs with hepatitis C tended to be higher (62%) than that of the HCCs with hepatitis B (50 %). In the HCCs, there was no definite correlation between the chemose nsitivity to each drug and the histological findings, while there seem ed to be a positive correlation between the chemoresistant rate and th e poor prognostic risk factors, such as vascular invasion and intrahep atic metastasis. In CCCs, the chemoresistant rate to all drugs tested was 77.7%, moreover, both the age and the CA 19-9 level in the chemose nsitive group were significantly higher than those in the chemoresista nt group. Conclusion: HCC with hepatitis C, as well as the higher degr ee of malignant potentials such as vascular invasion, intrahepatic met astasis and poor differentiation, tended to be resistant to all 3 drug s tested. CCC was also highly resistant to all 3 drugs tested. For suc h resistant tumors, the drug-resistant mechanism urgently needs to be identified as soon as possible.